Suzumebachi (Zanpakutō spirit)
Suzumebachi (雀蜂) is the manifested spirit of Suì-Fēng's Zanpakutō. AppearanceEdit Suzumebachi's manifested spirit takes the form of a small, pink-eyed young woman with long brown hair tied into two long pigtails at the back. She has a collar of white fur around her neck, wears puffy shorts and leggings with alternating yellow-black stripes on them, and wears black shoes. She has a small yellow-black plate covering each breast, and has short, puffy, yellow-black striped sleeves covering each shoulder. Her entire right arm is covered by a segmented, yellow-black stinger longer than her own body. Suzumebachi emits a faint yellow glow at all times.1 PersonalityEdit While under the influence of Muramasa's brainwashing, Suzumebachi is not fond of impatience, calling it an "unattractive" quality.1 She claims to have chosen her appearance upon being manifested in order to create her own fashion statement.2 She is somewhat cautious in battle, criticizing Wabisuke for attacking Kenpachi Zaraki in a careless manner.3 She believes the smaller combatant in a fight always has the advantage when facing someone of equal speed. In battle, she frequently giggles while dodging an opponent's attacks.4 Suzumebachi is very critical of Suì-Fēng: she finds her style of clothing and appearance to be "lame", and criticizes Suì-Fēng for worshiping Yoruichi Shihōin instead of paying attention to herself and finding a real man.2 However, she is willing to compliment Suì-Fēng when she impresses Suzumebachi, such as when Suì-Fēng managed to dodge her surprise attack3 and later sacrificed her arm when she could not dodge another strike.4 Suzumebachi claims Yoruichi is holding Suì-Fēng back and clouding her judgment, and that she is the real problem in Suì-Fēng's life.4 After being freed from Muramasa's brainwashing, Suzumebachi is much more friendly, happily greeting Haineko upon meeting her in a corridor.5 However, she has her own sense of humor, teasing Hyōrinmaru about being sentimental upon finding him staring at the moon.6 PlotEdit Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc (anime only)Edit Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. Suzumebachi waits for Muramasa's return alongside the other Zanpakutō Spirits in their cave, where she derides impatience as an "unattractive" quality. She, along with Tobiume, are the first to greet Muramasa as he returns with Hyōrinmaru. Later, Suzumebachi and the other Zanpakutō Spirits appear before the Shinigami who have gathered on Sōkyoku Hill.1 Suzumebachi is present when Captain Byakuya Kuchiki enters the cave and proves himself to Muramasa.7 When the Zanpakutō Spirits launch an all-out assault on the Shinigami, Suzumebachi interrupts the fight between Captain Suì-Fēng and Tenken when she stabs Suì-Fēng in the back, causing a Hōmonka to appear. As Suzumebachi expresses her happiness at having been manifested in a way that reflected her desire to create a fashion statement of her own, Suì-Fēng begins to doubt Suzumebachi is really her Zanpakutō Spirit, which prompts Suzumebachi to proclaim she will prove it by stabbing Suì-Fēng again.2 Without warning, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki arrives and unleashes an enormous amount of Reiatsu, momentarily stopping all fighting. When Kenpachi cuts down an attacking Wabisuke, Suzumebachi criticizes the latter for rushing in to attack. Afterwards, Kenpachi removes his eyepatch and attacks Senbonzakura, with the resulting explosion blowing everyone away.3 As Suì-Fēng watches the battle between Kenpachi and Byakuya, Suzumebachi tries to attack her once more, but misses, prompting Suì-Fēng to lead her away from the 6th Division barracks to a place which will favor her in battle.3 Though both combatants are equal in speed, Suzumebachi's smaller size gives her the advantage in dodging and striking. When Suzumebachi attempts to strike a finishing blow, Suì-Fēng counters with her Shunkō to repel the attack and cuts off Suzumebachi's stinger, winning the fight.4 Later, Suzumebachi and Suì-Fēng arrive alongside the other Shinigami and Zanpakutō Spirits inKarakura Town to defend it from the Gillians produced by the unstable Muramasa.8 Though Suzumebachi and Suì-Fēng take down several Gillians together, it eventually becomes clear the number of Gillians will not decrease while the enormous Garganta which Muramasa produced is still open. Upon realizing this, Suzumebachi and others pool their Reiatsu in order to close the Garganta.9 Upon Muramasa's defeat at the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki, Suzumebachi returns to Suì-Fēng's sword.10 Beast Swords arc (anime only)Edit Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. Suzumebachi and Tobiume spot Haineko passing by and greet her, but she simply ignores them. Later, Haineko passes by them again and happily smacks Tobiume's head before running off, leaving Suzumebachi and Tobiume confused as to why she is acting this way.11 As the threat of the Tōjū begins to wane, Suzumebachi approaches Hyōrinmaru and teases him about being sentimental before informing him they have discovered the final Tōjū, Kirikaze. The next day, she joins several other Zanpakutō Spirits in confronting Kirikaze. When Suzumebachi is sent flying by the wind generated by Kirikaze, Hyōrinmaru catches her. After Kirikaze is severely weakened by several powerful attacks, Suzumebachi gives her remaining Reiryoku to Lieutenant Renji Abarai so he can defeat Kirikaze with Hikotsu Taihō. Afterward, Suzumebachi returns to her sword as the power enabling the Zanpakutō Spirits to temporarily maintain their materialized form is finally depleted.12 Powers and AbilitiesEdit Great Spiritual Power: As the Zanpakutō Spirit of a captain of the Gotei 13, Suzumebachi possesses a formidable amount of Reiryoku,2 proven when she fights evenly against Suì-Fēng.4 Her Reiatsu is yellow.9 Enhanced Speed: Suzumebachi is a very fast combatant. She managed to attack Suì-Fēng without the latter even noticing until Suzumebachi called out to her.2 She is fast enough to effortlessly dodge all of Suì-Fēng's attacks while making several of her own, and claims she is almost as fast as Suì-Fēng is.4 Flight: Suzumebachi can fly through unknown means.2 She is proficient enough in this skill to effortlessly dodge several attacks while in midair.4 ZanpakutōEdit * Shikai: Suzumebachi does not actually use a Zanpakutō, but instead uses the stinger on her right arm as her Shikai.2 : Shikai Special Ability: Suzumebachi can use the stinger on her right arm for a special attack.2 :* Nigeki Kessatsu (弐撃決殺, Death in Two Steps): Suzumebachi stabs her target with her stinger. In addition to creating a deep wound, this attack causes a butterfly-shaped stamped, known as Hōmonka (蜂紋華, Hornet's Crest), to spread from the center of the wound; this stamp becomes the target of Suzumebachi's second attack. If struck in the same spot which was hit the first time, Suzumebachi's victim will inevitably die, and will thus illustrate "Death in Two Steps".2 However, this can be prevented if another force protects the victim's skin from being penetrated, such as Shunkō.4 QuotesEdit * (To Hōzukimaru) "An impatient man is so unattractive!"1 * (To Suì-Fēng) "So, how do you like my look? I didn't like your lame style, so I really went for it! I've always told myself that if I ever got free, I would create my own fashion statement to look awesomely sharp! I'm really glad I was able to manifest myself the way I wanted to!"2 * (To Suì-Fēng) "You always waste your free time doing something I'd never do! You worship Yoruichi! That's so dumb! You should use that time to pay more attention to yourself! You need a change! Go find yourself a real man!"2 * (To Suì-Fēng) "When two combatants are equal in speed, the one who is smaller always has the advantage! That's just common sense!"4 * (To Suì-Fēng) "Your biased perception is clouding your judgement, just as in your relationship with Yoruichi! You resent her when she's not around, but will do anything for her when she is! There's no middle ground with you! Yoruichi's the one holding you back! She's the real problem here!"4